Abstract: The Captain William T. Thompson papers (SAFR 13571, HDC 25) is comprised of a logbook, cargo manifest, letter from Rebecca
Plummer to her mother, lineage of Abigail Low, newspaper clippings, and newspaper article from the Pacific dated 1887. The
collection dates are 1848-1851, 1887. This collection is processed to the collection level and is open for use without restrictions.

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other
case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Processing Note

Note on Description: The descriptions in this collection guide were compiled using the best available sources of information.
Such sources include the creator's annotations or descriptions, collection accession files, primary and secondary source material
and subject matter experts. While every effort was made to provide accurate information, in the event that you find any errors
in this guide please contact the reference staff in order for us to evaulate and make corrections to this guide. P
lease cite the title and collection number in any correspondence with our staff.

This collection was transferred from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to the San Francisco Maritime National Historical
Park.

Historical or Biographical Note

The FALCON was a paddle steamer built in New York in 1848, by William Brown. The wood hulled vessel measured 244' x 30' x
21', and gross weight of 891 tons. Her home port was New York. She was built to serve Boston & New York to New Orleans via
Savannah. After launching, the U.S. Mail Steamship Corporation awarded a contract to operate between New York and Chagres,
Panama carrying mail and passengers. The Pacific Mail Steamship Corporation would operate the other side of Panama and up
the California Coast. The FALCON was converted to a quarantine vessel in New York in 1859.

The GOLD HUNTER was a wooden hulled passenger vessel built in 1849 in Westerveldt, New York. The ship measured 172' x 25'
x 10', and was of 436 gross tons. It arrived in San Francisco in April of 1850, and served between San Francisco and Sacramento.
In 1851, it was chartered by San Francisco interests to run to Mazatlan and San Blas, and then onward to San Juan del Sur,
Nicaragua. The GOLD HUNTER was later renamed the ACTIVE. On June 5, 1870, while working as a mail steamer and bound for Victoria
in a heavy fog, the ship struck a reef off Mendocino, and was beached. All crew and half the cargo were saved, but the ship
was lost.

Collection Scope and Content

The Captain William T. Thompson papers (SAFR 13571, HDC 25) is comprised of a logbook, cargo manifest, letter from Rebecca
Plummer to her mother, lineage of Abigail Low, newspaper clippings, and newspaper article from the Pacific dated 1887. The
collection dates are 1848-1851, 1887. This collection is processed to the collection level and is open for use without restrictions.

The rough log kept by Captain William T. Thompson is from several voyages of the FALCON between New Orleans, Panama, Cuba,
Charleston, S.C., Havana, and New York during the period of December 2, 1848 to May 16, 1849. The entries for the voyages
of the FALCON give comment of the superiority of it as a sailing vessel. Among the significant entries are: March 11, 1849
at Charleston, S.C. where they took on board two members of Congress and their families; April 29, 1849, Thompson's son's
birthday, Thompson tells about his deceased wife.

The second part of the log is from the GOLD HUNTER during a voyage from San Francisco to San Juan del Sur during the period
August to September 15, 1851. The entries mostly mention the weather, seas, course, latitude and longitude, and other vessels.
There is also some mention of passengers by name and places. On November 11, 1851 at San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, the passengers
and Thompson rode mules to Lago de Nicaragua where they boarded the steamer DIRECTOR and then the steamer ULWER to the town
of San Carlos and the San Juan River. From there they rowed down the river, some passengers continued on to Grey Town and
Thompson went back up the river. He gives excellent accounts of the trip and a storm. The entries end in mid sentence on November
15, 1851.